East Hull MP Karl Turner hits out at Humberside fire service cuts

EAST Hull MP Karl Turner has reacted angrily to plans to remove a fire engine from a station in his constituency.

Last week, Humberside Fire Authority announced it had decided to cut Hull's firefighters by 32 and remove a fire engine at the Southcoates Lane station.

One crew member from east Hull told the Mail he fears lives could be put at risk by the decision, while the Fire Brigades Union (FBU) has also vowed to fight the move to cut engine crews from five to four firefighters.

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He said: "The Humberside Fire Authority has been forced to make this difficult decision which I fear will compromise operating procedures.

"East Hull will lose a fire engine and we will see crews reduced from five to four.

"In my opinion this can only add additional pressure to already stretched fire crews and endanger their lives.

"This is another example of how the Government is bullying our emergency services to make cuts that risk public safety."

The announcement was made following a special meeting of Humberside Fire Authority, when members approved the cuts in a bid to save money.

One east Hull firefighter questioned the decision to make cuts in the city while leaving the quieter town of Immingham, in North Lincolnshire, alone.

The firefighter, who wished to remain anonymous, said: "In east Hull we get 900 call-outs each year while there are just 108 in Immingham.

"Yet they have decided to keep Immingham as it is.

"We cannot believe they are removing an engine from east Hull and reducing crew numbers across the city.

"We have a much bigger life risk here than in Immingham.

"There is the possibility more lives will be lost.

The FBU has vowed to fight the cuts.

Chairman Rob Vaux said: "It seems that nobody on the fire authority understands how the fire service works.

"All the officers at the meeting were shell-shocked by the decision.

"We will fight this decision as much as we can."

Several options were considered as part of the service's Operational Efficiency Programme to meet the wider Government cuts. There will also be reductions at Grimsby, Cleethorpes and Waltham fire stations, which will result in savings of £2.5m.

6 comments

Perhaps if fire and rescue employees gave up some of their abuses it could be achieved without cuts you know the 84 or so days holiday a year, working overtime to fill missing peoples posts therefore removing the necessity for their being 1.4 fire officers to every post.

It should be unacceptable to every Hull resident that the city's fire service be subjected to reductions in provision for emergencies. I hope our other MPs, Johnson & Johnson, will also speak against the proposals.